1st May 2016

A.Nour El Sherbini becomes youngest World Squash Champion 

1.Egyptian professional squash player Nour El Sherbini (20) has become the youngest ever Women’s squash World champion.

2.She won the 2015 Naza PSA Women’s World Championship held at Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by defeating Laura Massaro of England.

3.In the final match she defeated Laura Massaro by score of 6-11, 4-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-8. With this, she broke previous record set by Susan Devoy of New Zealand, who won the title in 1985 at the age of 21.

B.India extends 1 billion dollar Line of Credit to Mongolia

1.India has extended 1 billion US dollars a Line of Credit (LoC) to Mongolia to develop institutions, infrastructure and human resources in Mongolia. 

2.It was extended after delegation-level bilateral talks between the Union Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs VK Singh and Mongolian Foreign Minister Lundeg Purevsuren in New Delhi. 

Background 

1.The LoC was extended as part of announcement made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Mongolia in May 2015. 

2.The LoC was announced for infrastructure development and economic expansion. It was the first Prime Ministerial visit from India to Mongolia. 

3.During that visit, the two nations also had signed 14 agreements.

C.1 May: International Workers Day 

1.Every year 1st May is being observed as International Workers Day to pay tribute to workers’ sacrifices in achieving economic and social rights all over the world. 

2.The day is also known as International Labours Day and May Day. On this day, labour unions throughout the world celebrate and organize seminars, rallies and parades. 

3.2016 Theme: “Celebrating the International Labour Movement”. 

Background 

1.The International Labour Day is being celebrated to promote the requirement of eight-hour work day. 

2.In earlier times, the working conditions of the labourers were very severe and working hours lasted 10 to 16 hour a day even in the unsafe conditions which resulted in death, injuries of workers. 

3.In 1886, workers in Chicago (US) started demanding that the working period of eight hours a week and have one day off and also raised their voice for the safety of the working group.

4.After the workers struggle, eight-hours was declared as the legal time for the workers in the national convention at Chicago by the American Federation of Labour in 1886. 

5.In 1889, the second meeting of the General Assembly of the International Worker held in Paris passed a resolution that 1st May should be celebrated as International Workers ‘ Day. In India, this day is celebrated as a national holiday since 1923.

30th April 2016

A.NABARD partners with Germany for food security initiative

1.The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has entered into collaboration with German Government for a special programme on ‘Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security‘. 


2.The programme is part of the German government’s recently introduced special initiative ‘One World, No Hunger’ initiative. 

3.As part of the collaboration NABARD is anchoring two programmes viz. Soil conservation and rehabilitation of degraded land programme in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. 

4.Innovation of watershed development and climate change adaptation programmes in five states Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

B.Gujarat Government to provide 10 % reservation to economically backward of higher castes

1.Gujarat Government has decided to provide 10 percent reservation for economically backward classes (EBCs) in general category. 

2.In this regard, state government is going to promulgate ordinance and will be applicable in government jobs as well as admission to the educational institutions from next academic year. 

3.This 10 percent reservation for EBCs in general category will be available to all non-reserved class, whose total family income is less than 6 lakh annually.

4.The new reservation will not affect the present reservation available to Scheduled Castes (SC)/ Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC). 

5.This decision will breaches Supreme Court’s reservation limit of 50 percent as the State Government is already providing 50 percent reservation to SC, ST and OBC.  in States Current Affairs for PCS

C.China develops world’s first Graphene electronic paper

1.Chinese researchers have developed world’s first graphene electronic paper that will catapult the material to a new level. 

2.It was developed by The Guangzhou OED Technologies in partnership with a company in Chongqing Province of China. 

Key facts 

1.Graphene e-paper is more pliable and has more intensity as compared to traditional e-papers. It has high-light transmittance means optical displays will be much brighter. 

2.Compared with liquid crystal displays (LCDs), e-papers are thinner, bendable and energy efficient.

3.Mass production cost is much lower compared to traditional e-papers, which use the rare, expensive metal indium. 

About Graphene 

1.Graphene is the world’s strongest and lightest known material derived from carbon. It can conduct heat and electricity. 

2.Its single layer is of 0.335 nanometers thickness. 

3.It can be used to create hard or flexible Graphene displays and also can be used in electronic products such as e-readers and wearable smart devices. 

29th April 2016

A.Lok Sabha passes Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016 

1.The Lok Sabha passed the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016 to provide statutory status to the existing Regional Centre for Biotechnology in Faridabad, Haryana. 

2.The Bill seeks to provide legislative backing to the Regional Centre and also confers upon it the status of an institution of national importance. 

Key facts Objectives: 

(i) Disseminate knowledge by providing teaching and research facilities in biotechnology and related fields, 

(ii) create a hub of biotechnology expertise, 

(iii) facilitate transfer of technology and knowledge in the SAARC region and generally Asia and 

(iv) Promote cooperation at the international level. 

3.The Regional centre will provide masters and doctoral degrees, and post-graduate diplomas in biotechnology and related subjects. 

4.It will have Board of Governors, Programme Advisory Committee, Executive Committee and Finance Committee etc as authorities responsible for its administration and functioning. 

Background 

1.India had entered into an agreement in 2006 with the UNESCO regarding establishment of the Regional Centre to serve the member countries of UNESCO. 

2.In this regard, the Union government through an executive order had established the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Training and Education in Faridabad, Haryana in 2009. 

Note: An institution of national importance is a national level institute which imparts scientific or technical education and is empowered to grant educational degrees.

B.India, Mongolia hold joint exercise ‘Nomadic Elephant’ to boost military cooperation 

1.The eleventh edition of India-Mongolia joint military training Exercise ‘Nomadic Elephant – 2016’ has commenced at Mongolia. 

2.It seeks to promote military associations between India and Mongolia. The first joint exercise was held in 2004 and since then it is annually held. 

Key facts 

1.Aim of exercise is to develop synergy and interoperability between the two armies to fight in Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism (CICT) environment under the United Nation mandate. 

2.In this edition, a platoon of the Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army along with a team of two observers is taking part in the event. 

3.The Indian contingent will share its practical experiences of CICT operations through a series of classroom lectures and outdoor demonstrations.

C.India to host 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships 

1.India is going to host the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships in Jaipur, Rajasthan. 

2.It was announced by the Judo Federation of India (JFI). 

3.The announcement came after the Commonwealth Judo Congress allotted the Championships to India at its meeting held at Port Elizabeth in South Africa. 

4.This will be the first time that Commonwealth Judo Championships will be held in India. 

5.However the Championsips dates are yet to be finalised. Besides, India will also host the 10th Asian Cadet Judo Championships and the 17th Asian Junior Judo Championships from September 6th to 12th, 2016 at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Kadvanthaa in Kerala. 

6.Judo It is generally categorized as a modern martial art. It was created in 1882as a physical, mental and moral pedagogy in Japan by Kanō Jigorō. 

7.Later it evolved into a combat and Olympic sport. A judo practitioner is called a judoka. 

8.Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the objectives is to either takedown or throw an opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue an opponent with a force with a joint lock or a choke.

28th April 2016

A.Mouamba Clement appointed as Prime Minister of Congo 

1.Congo’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso has appointed Mouamba Clement as the new Prime Minister of the central African country. 

2.With this appointment, Clement will be responsible for forming a new government in accordance with the 2015 constitution in consultation with the President. 

3.His appointment comes a month after Sassou Nguesso was elected as President for a 5 year term. 

4.Earlier Sassou Nguesso had led Congo between 1979 and 1992 and again had returned to power after a civil war in 1997. 

About Mouamba Clement 
1.Mouamba Clement is an economist and had served as the officer of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) in the 1980s. 

2.Between 1992 and 1993, he had served as finance minister of Congo under the country’s first elected President Pascal Lissouba. 

3.He has also served as the opposition leader into the government. He was a senior member of the opposition Pan-African Union for Social Democracy party but was expelled in 2015.

B.India, France launch $1 Trillion Potential Solar Programme under ISA 

1.India and France have launched a programme with $1 trillion Potential Solar Programme under the International Solar Alliance (ISA). 

2.It is a solar finance programme that aims at helping developing countries to fully harness their solar resources for a clean energy future. 

3.It was announced by Minister of State for Power Piyush Goyal and French Environment Minister Segolene Royal at the ministerial side event on ISA at the United Nations. 

4.The solar finance programme aims at lowering the cost of finance and facilitates the flow of more than 1 trillion dollars investment to members of the ISA. 

5.Both countries also launched a second programme at the ISA meeting which aims to make available solar technology for farmers. 

6.The meeting was attended by representatives of over 25 countries including the US, Bangladesh, Brazil and Nigeria. 

About International Solar Alliance (ISA) 
1.The ISA was launched at the 2015 Paris Climate Change Summit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande. 

2.It seeks to empower solar-rich countries located between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn to make collaborative efforts to harness solar energy to generate the electricity. 

3.Under this alliance, 121 countries that fall within the tropics have been invited. Most of these countries fall within Asia, Africa and South America. Three Objectives: (i) To force down prices by driving demand, (ii) To bring standardization in solar technologies and thirdly and (iii) To foster research and development.

C.Rafael Nadal wins 2016 Barcelona Open 

1.Ace tennis player Rafael Nadal (World No 5) from Spain has won the 2016 Barcelona Open title of Tennis. 


2.It was Nadal’s overall 9th Barcelona Open title and 69th win from 101 finals on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour. 

3.He also has now won his first 10 matches of the European clay-court 2016 season. In the final match played at in Barcelona, Spain he defeated Kei Nishikori (World No 6) of Japan in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5. 

4.With this victory, Nadal has equalled Guillermo Vilas’ decade’s old record of 49 clay-court titles. 

5.Guillermo Vilas from Argentina had bagged 49 clay-court titles in 1970s and early 1980s. In tennis Nadal is famously known as the King of Clay. 

6.So far, Rafael Nadal has won 14 Grand Slam singles titles, 28 titles in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events and 16 ATP World Tour 500 tournaments. 

7.He also had won 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles.  in Current Affairs 2016, Persons in News, Sports

27th April 2016

A.Salman Khan named as Indian contingent’s Goodwill Ambassador for 2016 Rio Olympics 

1.Bollywood actor Salman Khan was named as the goodwill ambassador of the Indian contingent for the upcoming Olympics to be held in August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

2.This is the first time when a Bollywood superstar has been chosen as a goodwill ambassador for the Indian contingent at the Olympics. 

3.He was chosen by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) from a list of two to three candidates which also included Shah Rukh Khan and veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan. 

4.IOA has chosen Salman Khan as he is considered to be more connected with the youth and sportspersons and also is considered as a youth icon for bodybuilding fans across the country.

B.President nominates 6 eminent members to Rajya Sabha 

1.President Pranab Mukherjee has nominated of six eminent members to Rajya Sabha as per the provisions of Article 80 of the Constitution. 

2.These nominated members are Mary Kom: Legendary boxer and Olympic bronze medallist. 

3.She belongs to the Sino-Tibetan speaking Kom tribe of Manipur. She is five-time World Amateur Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships. 

4.In 2014, she became the first Indian woman boxer to get a gold medal in the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. 
Narendra Jadhav: He is renowned economist and former member of the erstwhile National Advisory Council (2010-14) and Planning Commission (2009-14). He is also the former vice-chancellor of Pune University. 
Suresh Gopi: He is Malayalam actor and had acted in over 200 films. He is a winner of the National Film Award and Filmfare Award. 
Swapan Dasgupta: He is journalist by profession. He had worked at senior editorial positions in various publications including The Indian Express, India Today and The Times of India. 
Subramanian Swamy: He is BJP leader and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977, 1980 and 1988, and to the Rajya Sabha in 1974 and 1998. 
Navjot Singh Sidhu: He is cricketer-turned-politician and former two time member of Lok Sabha. Nomination of eminent members to Rajya Sabha As per Article 80 (Part V) of the Constitution, President can nominate 12 members in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha).

C.India’s first online interactive heritage portal Sahapedia launched 

1.The Union Government has launched India’s first online interactive heritage portal named Sahapedia was in New Delhi. 

2.The web portal is a collaborative knowledge resource on the arts, culture and heritage of India. 

About Sahapedia 
1.Sahapedia is a not-for-profit society headed by former TCS chairman S. Ramadorai, who currently helms the National Skill Development Agency. 

2.The purpose of this portal is to inform, educate and act on subjects such as knowledge traditions, visual and material arts, performing arts, literature and languages. It also seeks to educated and spread knowledge about practices and rituals, histories, institutions, people, built spaces and natural environment. 

3.It will be accessible across user groups such as scholars, practitioners, students, teachers, travellers and enthusiasts. 

4.It will also play important role in integrating activities and services including research, documentation, digitization and conservation.

D.Union Government notifies new rules to revamp SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 

1.The Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry has notified new rules to give effect amended Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. 

2.The new rules seek to tighten provisions to ensure speedy justice to members of the SC/ST community. 

Key facts 

1.The new rules aims at speeding up the process of dispensation of justice, liberalise and expedite access to relief for victims of atrocities, ensuring special sensitivity in cases of offences against women. 

2.It has been made mandatory for cops to file chargesheet within 60 days after a complaint is lodged. 

3.For the first time, there is provision of relief for offences of rape and gang rape. Requirement of medical examination for getting relief amount for non-invasive kind of offences against women has been delinked. 

4.Relief in cash or in kind or both must be provided within seven days to the victims of atrocity, their family members and dependents. 

5.The new rules also call for regular reviews of the scheme for the rights and entitlements of victims and witnesses in accessing justice.